The board of China Steel Corp., Taiwan’s largest steel-maker, approved a plan Feb. 21 to purchase a 10-percent stake in Australian contract miner MCG Group’s MDL 162 coal mine for roughly US$103 million. The Bowen Basin mine will supply CSC with up to 600,000 metric tons of metallurgical coal annually, helping boost its self-sufficiency rate in mining resources from 2-3 percent to 7-8 percent.
The Park Investment Supervisory Committee approved eight new investments totaling NT$2.66 billion (US$9 million) in Taiwan’s science parks Feb. 21, according to the National Science Council. They include five investments in the Hsinchu Science Park, two in the Central Taiwan Science Park and one in the Southern Taiwan Science Park.
Yaroslavl Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Valery A. Lavrov signed a cooperative memorandum of understanding with the Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA) Feb. 21 to enhance Taiwan-Russia bilateral trade. On the same day, the Yaroslavl delegation engaged in 100 one-on-one procurement talks with Taiwan enterprises at the Taipei International Convention Center that are expected to bring about roughly US$10 million in business opportunities for local firms and help them expand their presence in the Russian market.
The number of independent mainland Chinese tourists visiting Taiwan rose to 10,246 in January, thanks to streamlined visa application procedures, Tourism Bureau Deputy Director-General David Hsieh said Feb. 21. Total mainland Chinese visitors for the month hit 140,432, up 38.56 percent over a year earlier. In 2011, more than 1.78 million mainland tourists visited Taiwan, including roughly 1.22 million in tour groups, up 4.7 percent year on year. Hsieh expressed the hope that the number of tourists traveling between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait would top the 10 million mark in 2014. (SB-THN)